"FWIW, some of us have quite a bit of pricey "high end" software on our PC's, and at our beck & call.  But we still use Poser in the mix."

Shrug. Whatever.
Let's see what I have installed, hmm,,,There's ZB3, there's MAX 9, there's Hexagon, there's SILO 2, there's Bodypaint 3d.
"High end" enuff for ya ?

You constantly mix up completely different things.
Yeah, you can use Poser to get "things done".
Like you can use bondo to fix a ding in your Toyota.

But would you want to have a Ferrari or a vintage Buick fixed with filler ?
Nope, you'd pay a specialist to get the ding removed the RIGHT way.
Heating the metal, shrinking it, and smoothing it out again.No bondo, no quick-fix.
Just good ol' craftmanship.

Professionals use Poser like duct tape. It's great to safe time if quality isn't important.

But a professional 3d artist is expected to be able to deliver 100% quality if needed.
And that's what Poser users can't do because they lack the skills.

And that's why professional 3d artists will take Poser (and it's users), never seriously.
Some might be nicer than others, but to get genuine "respect", you (and Poser) have to be able to do A LOT more than just load and render premade content.

I have no problem with that because I know what I can and I know what I can not.

But obviously a lot of people can't stand the fact that there are other people around more capeable than they are, so they dream that if only Poser would "professionalize" enough, their own status might be elevated, too.

THAT's the problem.
We should root to make Poser a better POSER.
Not a MAX/MAYA "light".